Massage is considered a luxury item or extravagance. An item only the wealthy can afford, or reserved for a once a year “spa day”. However, what if you were wrong? What if you really could afford it? What if there was more to massage therapy than you thought?

Consider this: there are over 3000 touch receptors in the tip of one finger. Your body is covered with millions of them, all requiring healthy touch. Studies show therapeutic touch improves weight gain in premature infants, reduces depression in the elderly, and improves body image and self-esteem in individuals with eating disorders. It improves circulation, enhances mental and cognitive productivity, reduces cortisol levels in the blood, and improves sleep patterns.

“So," you think, “cool, but what has it got to do with saving my life?”

Consider your life on the Western treadmill. Driving in traffic, you arrive at your desk just in time to be handed an unbelievable deadline. You get a call from the daycare or adult care center letting you know that there is an urgent problem. You feel your face flush with fear for your loved one, and panic over your job performance. Your cortisol levels just skyrocketed, along with about a hundred other hormones that signal “panic” throughout your body. You make your excuses to your boss, maneuver back through traffic, and handle the situation. You are officially stressed. Your body has become a haven for multitudes of chemical responses that can create inflammation, depression, pain, poor mental performance, and fatigue among other maladies. In addition, this is just Monday.

Massage, performed by a licensed professional, will at best, alleviate pain, inflammation and other stress reactors in the body and at worst will make you feel better.

“Too expensive” you say? The cost of over the counter pain medications, prescription drugs, time away from work, and doctors' visits become extraordinary compared to a massage therapy visit twice a month. The benefits far outweigh the initial investment in your health.

Check it out for yourself. It could save your life.

Robin C. Myers is owner of Wholistic Alternatives, a licensed massage therapy and holistic health center. Her work includes holistic health, touch therapies, herbal and nutritional support, and homeopathy. She has been working and living wholistic wellness for over 30 years, and is available for teaching and speaking engagements, as well as therapeutic sessions.